Turning Tears to Roses
by TehUnoman
Summary: The Batter is dead, the Queen is dead, Hugo is dead; everything in the Zones and The Room are dead. Except for the Judge; he continues his existence in Zone 0, completely empty and apathetic. Until an old entity returns and gives him a deal he can't refuse, even if it means going to a new world and abandoning the Zones. New allies and enemies are created, and ancient powers return.


**So I thought of something while watching Markiplier play the game OFF; what happens after 'The Special Ending?' For those that do not know, this story does contain spoilers, so don't read if you don't want the game ruined for you.**

**OFF belong to its respective owner.**

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_The Room_

The Batter was kneeling on the ground, his neck swollen from a blood clot that formed earlier in Zone 2. His monstrous form, weakened from the attacks of his ally and guide, was bruised and bleeding profusely on the white tile. A cat, directly in front of him, was growling at him, crouching for the final blow. This is The Judge.

"Your demented crusade ends here," he began. "Die, Batter, with the eternal souvenir of not having conducted your sad scheme to its end."

A sudden coughing fit grasped the Batter's form, blood flying out his crocodile-like jaws.

"I-It's too…late," the Batter weakly said, struggling to try and stand up. "Everything…is…lost."

"I know," Judge admitted, "but I prefer this over your victory."

He pounced, landing on the back of the Batter. A swift jab to the neck ruptured the aneurism, causing blood to spurt out of his empty eyes, and he fell over, dead. The Judge hopped off the corpse, and brushed off his paws in satisfaction. He then looked up at the puppeteer, a morose mask taking over his face, and stated this:

"Hence nothing remains except for our regrets."

_Many weeks later, Zone 0_

During his time back in the empty zone, The Judge came across a new room-located underneath the combination room-and discovered an old corpse next to piles of sugar. Though he wasn't sure what it was, it was for the best that he didn't disturb the dead entity; there were more important things to do anyways.

As he walked outside, he noticed that there were an absurd amount of birds in the sky. Not bothering with them at the time, he wandered to the roof of the single building, lied down on the warm surface, and relaxed. One of the birds descended towards the roof, and landed next to the stairs, its white eyes staring at the Judge intently.

"White eyes?" he asked. "How peculiar that a crow would have the moon for eyes instead of the night sky."

"_**And after all this time, I was under the impression that you had remembered me,**_" the crow said.

The cat immediately stood up, glaring at the bird with territorial instinct-and uncertainty; he should be used to seeing other animals talk back and forth now-before the Purification of the Zones-but this one had the Judge concerned. It wasn't the fact that the bird could talk, but it was more of the voice it was using; the same one an old entity used.

"Puppeteer," the Judge said anxiously.

Laughter echoed above as the crows cawed in amusement; the one next to the cat was also following suit.

"_**Yes, Judge; it is I. But I've abandoned that title after my little…**__**incident**__**,**_" the Puppeteer replied, affirming the cat's assumption. "_**I now go by something much more different: Tell me, what does one call a flock of crows, Judge?**_"

"A murder, in all obviousness."

"_**Good. Now, that's not what I'm calling myself, of course,**_" the controlled crow said. "_**Observe, as saying what it is would be foolish.**_"

The murder of crows began diving towards the rooftop, causing the Judge to snap his head up in sudden shock. _So this is how it ends,_ the Judge thought, _I die by corrupted birds, just like my dear brother Valerie. Irony, I must say, is sadistic when it comes to my family._ His fear vanished as the birds converged onto the ground borne crow, and returned as they began merging into a figure. The decibels of their wings deafened the Judge, and it was a minute before the noise began dying down. When the Judge looked up, he was shocked to see the form in front of him.

A large, black cloak billowed behind an imposing figure, wearing spiked, black-red armor; a hood prevented the cat from seeing his face. On his right gauntlet, a red insignia glowed intensely, creating a sense of dread the Judge hadn't felt in a long time.

Though the cat didn't know the Puppeteer's real name, it was already at the tip of his tongue; power that could destroy whatever it desires, whenever it desires.

"Tempest," the Judge muttered.

He couldn't see his face, but he could tell the entity was smiling.

"_**Well done, Judge; your knowledge was-and still is-impeccable,**_" Tempest complimented. "_**Now, your curiosity is peaking as to why I'm back in Zone 0; my goal is to make a deal with you.**_"

"No."

"_**You don't even know what my offer is, Judge.**_"

"I have apathy for you, Pu-Tempest. Whatever deal you're trying to create between us, I will decline it with the upmost gumption," the Judge spat.

"_**But I know you well enough to know that you're bored of the empty Zones,**_" the cloaked entity replied. "_**You want to explore more worlds, see new people, and make different memories that are more vivid than the plain, bland, and tasteless ones here in Zone 0.**_"

The Judge was silent while he bowed his head slightly.

"_**You know that I'm right, don't you?**_"

"What type of offer are you proposing, Tempest?" the cat asked.

"_**Simple; I'll give you more power than you had when you faced off against my old puppet, along with whatever you desire.**_" He began. "_**In return, I get to do something interesting, and teleport you to a different world; one that you would be intrigued by.**_"

"…What world will be chosen for my travel?"

"_**Remnants of ancient, broken worlds, converged on a single spot, and made a new world; a world that has brought all kinds of eyes towards itself in keen interest,**_" Tempest said. "_**You will not be getting anything more of that world from me.**_"

"As you desire, Tempest: I accept your terms of the deal; as for the desire, I require the tools and knowledge needed for me to survive easily in the world I'm traveling to," the Judge replied.

"_**That is something I can do, my friend.**_"

Raising his right hand, a dark orb materialized in said hand, and fired electricity directly at the Judge. Hitting him directly in the face, the cat yowled in excruciating pain as newfound, unknown power began coursing through his veins. As it did, he could feel his form expand to extreme levels; his front paws gained opposable thumbs, his spine twisted and bended into a new shape, his face collapsed slightly as his head grew, his fur turned into clothing, and his animalistic features were reduced slightly.

When it was done, the Judge was almost unconscious. He could see the large form of Tempest seem a lot smaller than it was before as the black ring of sleep expanded quickly.

"_**Enjoy your trip, Nicholas Judge**_" was the last thing he heard before he embraced the abyss.

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_Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past._

_Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful. But he was born into an unforgiving world. An inevitable darkness, creatures of destruction. The creatures of Grim set their sights on man and all of his creations. These forces clashed and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void._

_However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds. This power was appropriately named, "dust"._

_Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness and in the shadow's absence, came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life. But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die._

_And when they are gone…darkness will return._

_So, you may prepare your guardians…build your monuments to a so-called free world, but take heed…there will be no victory in strength._

_-'But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul.'_

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**Interesting? If so, you'll be in for a ride. Those that know what I just referenced near the end of the prologue get a little gift; the first seven that get the reference right are able to obtain that gift. Spread the word around, and this will become a crossover very soon after the next chapter is released.**

**With that in mind, review, fav, follow, and share the story!**


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